TL;DR:
- World launched AgentKit, a toolkit that allows delegating IDs to AI agents within Coinbase’s x402 protocol.
- Verified agents will be able to signal to platforms that they are backed by a real person, without compromising user privacy.
- World claims to have verified nearly 18 million people in more than 160 countries through its biometric device, the Orb.
World, the web3 identity solution backed by Sam Altman, announced the launch of a development toolkit for the x402 protocol, the agentic payments system created by Coinbase for artificial intelligence bots. The tool, called AgentKit, allows people verified by the protocol to delegate their IDs to autonomous AI agents.
World ID: The Human Passport for AI Agents
World ID is a mechanism that allows users to prove their human identity in a cryptographic way. With AgentKit, users’ autonomous agents will be able to indicate to websites and platforms that they operate backed by a real person, without exposing sensitive personal information.
The toolkit is a direct response to the growing adoption of agentic AI bots, by both individuals and companies, for tasks ranging from email monitoring to making purchases. Around the launch of version 2 of the protocol, x402 reported having processed more than 100 million payments.
Identity and Payments: the Complete Stack for Agents
Erik Reppel, head of engineering at Coinbase Developer Platform and founder of x402, described this integration as the combination of two fundamental layers: “Payments are the ‘how’ of agentic commerce, but identity is the ‘who’. By integrating World ID with the x402 protocol, developers now have a complete trust stack: a way for agents to pay for what they need and a way for platforms to verify that there is a real human being behind the wallet.”
The toolkit was released in beta version. The more advanced version will be launched alongside an update to World’s protocol. The company claims to have verified nearly 18 million people in more than 160 countries through its biometric device Orb, although this component has drawn significant criticism over the type of data it collects.
Coinbase Developer Platform continues to incorporate new features into the x402 ecosystem, including a wallet function that allows autonomous agents to manage their own funds. Companies such as Stripe have already integrated the protocol to bill agents directly using USDC on the Base network.
